Upgrade or new build?

Custard Cream

Custard Cream

Custard Cream

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Joined
8 May 2010
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Hi guys, thought you might be able to help me with a question I have. My current pc is just over two years old and I was thinking of either upgrading it or starting over with a new i5/ddr3 setup. Here is my current spec:

Intel C2Q 6700 2.66GHz
Asrock Penryn 1600 SLi-110dB
8GB RAM - Elixir DDR2-800 4x2GB PC6400
Palit NVIDIA Geforce 9500GT Super+1GB

None of it is currently overclocked but I might be up for some _slight_ overclocking in the near future. I was looking to spend £350 ish max on an upgrade or about £850 on a new build. I don't know what the bottleneck of my current pc is so I was wondering what to upgrade? I use the computer for mainly playing games and occasional HD video editing. Also, if I did upgrade to an i5/DDR3 system would there be a noticeable rise in gaming performance? Or would I be better off with an upgrade?

Thanks in advance for any replies!
 
I would try overclocking the Q6700 TBH! Also getting a graphics card like an HD5850 1GB would also be a massive improvement.

What PSU do you have BTW??
 
Unless the PSU is made by a decent OEM you will need to get a new one. Higher end graphics cards will stress the PSU quite a bit and many of the cheapo ones actually cannot give their rated power. In many cases this has ended up destroying the card when gaming. The 9500GT does not consume much power so the PSU is not being stressed. The same goes with your Q6700 which is not overclocked. When overclocked the power consumption of the CPU under load will increase quite a bit.
 
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As CAT says really. There's plenty of life in that CPU if you've got decent cooling and overclocking options on that board. The graphics card is the main thing to hold you back whilst gaming here. What games do you play?
 
I play all sorts but atm mostly GTAIV, EFLC, TF2 and BFBC2. I would also like to play Crysis 2 at a decent resolution when it comes out. Would there be any point in upgrading the mobo and changing to ddr3 at this point? Or just getting higher speed ddr2?
 
You don't need higher speed ram. Your current stuff will get your Q6700 past 3.6Ghz providing the motherboard will cope. A decent cooler for the quad, overclock the quad and get something like a 5850 will give you a massive boost. The thing that's holding you back the most is the 9500GT. Get a decent psu as well!! Never, ever skimp on the psu. It is the single most important component in a pc. Cheap ones will never deliver their stated output, will have weak unstable rails and if they fail will more than likely take some other comonents with it.
 
This should make your PC happy:

upgradee.jpg
 
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